Lenses for wedding photography

THE BEST LENS FOR WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY IS..........

​The majority of wedding photographers I come across believe that a fixed prime lens is the the best lens for wedding photography. These photographers all use fixed focal length lenses and I have to say I struggle to see why. Okay, I have heard the argument many times over that prime lenses are optically sharper and produce higher quality photos than zoom lenses, and to a certain extent this is true. But the gap in image quality between modern day zoom lenses and prime lenses is now very small. Technology has moved on and modern day zoom lenses are sufficiently sharp to capture stunning wedding portraits.

​Over 95% of my wedding photos are captured using zoom lenses, and the remaining few are only captured with a fixed focal length prime lens because I can’t find a macro specific zoom lens.

In my experience there is no single best lens for wedding photography and my wedding photography lenses consists of two zoom lenses and one prime lens, and this is all I need for all my wedding photos.

Prime lenses typically have wider maximum apertures than zoom lenses, which makes them faster. Okay, there are no arguments over this however I will say that I seldom use a very narrow aperture when taking wedding photographs. When I take photos of people at weddings I don’t want to throw the background so much out of focus it looks like a big blur and is totally unrecognisable. I prefer to have the background so it is soft, and I mean real soft, but you can still tell what it is. In order to get shots like this ultra-wide apertures of 1.8 and wider simply aren’t needed and I can easily achieve the effect with my zoom lenses, one of which has a maximum aperture of f2.8 and the other f4.

Based on my experience the three best lens for wedding photography are:-

Best lens for wedding photography - Ultra-wide angle lens

My first best lens for wedding photography is an ultra-wide to wide angle zoom and I find the 16mm - 35mm lens is ideal for this.

Wedding photography involves a lot of interior work and registry offices, chapels and churches are often tight on space, and that is before they fill up with wedding guests, the main wedding party and the bride and groom of course.

Okay, you could stand back with a tele lens and zoom in to take the wedding photos however this is not ideal. Firstly, you don’t get much in to the frame with a long focal length, and wedding photographs should include not only the bride and groom but also some of the guests, and some of the venue, and this means you are going to have to shoot wide.

To really capture the mood, spirit and occasion of the wedding you need to get up close and personal to the bride and groom, and all the guests. Getting up close allows more intimate and meaningful shots, and if you are using a long reach tele lens there is no way you can do this.

As well as having to take photos in tight spaces wedding photography involves a lot of group photos, and the easiest way to get everyone in the frame, i.e. all the friends and family, is to use a wide or ultra-wide angle lens. Some people may argue you can get everyone in the shot with a long focal length lens but in order to do this you are going to have to stand a long way back, and we have already established this is not a good thing. Another thing to remember is that if you shoot in this way the people in the photo are going to look tiny, and there will also be a lot of background, which won’t add anything to the photo.​The best way to deal with tight spaces and taking photos of large wedding groups is to arm yourself with an ultra-wide angle lens , and my lens of choice for these situations is the Canon 16mm – 35mm f4L IS USM lens.

​The Canon 16mm – 35mm is my ultra-wide angle lens of choice, and I have to say it is an impressive lens. Okay, the widest aperture may only be f4, but I don’t need ultra-wide apertures and it suits the type of wedding photos I like to capture. The 16mm – 35mm f4L has 4 stop image stabilisation which, in my opinion, is essential to capture sharp handheld shots in dimly lit locations, like churches and chapels.

Being a professional L grade lens means this lens is made from the highest quality materials and contains superior optics and glass. I can vouch for the build quality of this lens and confirm that it is absolutely bullet proof, and will provide years of service. As for the image quality, what can I say? The photos you can capture with this lens have to be seen to be believed. There is a good sharpness across the entire frame, even when used wide open, and the colours are bright and vivid without being over saturated. Yep, I can guarantee you won’t be disappointed with the image quality of this lens, which is considered to be better than that of the Canon 16mm – 35mm f2.8L lens by many photographers.

The 16mm – 35mm f4L IS USM lens is relatively small and light, which makes it a pleasure to use. I have used and tested other 16mm – 35mm on my Canon dslr however none of them have matched up to this lens.

Best lens for wedding photography - “General focal length” lens

My second best lens for wedding photography is a “general focal length” lens, and by this I mean focal lengths from 35mm – 70mm.

This range of focal lengths is favoured by many portrait photographers so a 24mm – 70mm zoom lens is perfect for this. Okay, the 24mm – 35mm focal length is covered by the 16mm – 35mm lens but the lens manufacturers have decided 24mm – 70mm is the focal range to use, so there is nothing we can do about it.​

​A 24mm – 70mm lens is ideal for head and shoulder portraits (think of a head shot of the bride and groom sharing their first kiss as a married couple), half body portraits (think of the bride and groom sat down signing the marriage register) and full body portraits (think of the proud father giving away his daughter or the bride and groom standing at the altar exchanging vows and rings) therefore it covers all scenarios.​A 24mm – 70mm is also a good lens for small group shots and the lens I use in this instance is the Canon 24mm – 70mm f2.8L USM. Once you start getting a lot of people in the frame it is best to change over to the 16mm – 35mm.

Before I bought the Canon 24mm – 70mm f2.8L lens I tried other 24mm – 70mm lenses from other manufacturers, and whilst the build quality was there and the image quality was good, they couldn’t compete with the Canon 24mm – 70mm f2.L. First off, the Canon 24mm – 70mm f2.8L lens is a big and heavy lens, but this is a small price to pay for such quality images. Despite the size and bulk of this lens it is well balanced on my camera and it is comfortable to use, even after a few hours of constant use.

The Canon 24mm – 70mm f2.8L lens is expensive, and you are going to have to dig deep to pay for it, but you should see it as an investment that will actually pay for itself. Don’t let the cost of this lens put you off, it really is worth every penny.

The image quality of this lens is awesome and if I need a lens with a focal length in the 24mm – 70mm range this is my lens of choice. Even if my 16mm – 35mm is on my camera and I need a focal length of, say 30mm, I will still switch to the 24mm – 70mm f2.8L lens. This lens is sharp from the centre of the frame to the edges once stopped down a bit. Used wide open there is a pleasant softness, which I like. I mean, when a lens is too sharp it can show every blemish, spot, pimple and variation in skin tone, which is not great for portrait or wedding photography.

This lens doesn’t have image stabilisation so when I struggle to get the shutter speeds fast enough in dimly lit churches and chapels I will push the ISO up, but fortunately my camera is great at high ISOs and noise in seldom a problem.​Despite its shortcomings the Canon 24mm – 70mm f2.8L USM lens is an awesome lens and a good workhorse.

​Best lens for wedding photography - Macro lens​My third best lens for wedding photography, and the only prime lens I use for wedding shoots is a macro lens.

​I think a macro lens is a great tool for wedding photography and I use it for artistic and creative close ups of various things. You can use a macro lens to capture close up photos of the wedding bands, the wedding cake topper, table settings, the wedding food, champagne and champagne flutes, the bride’s bouquet……. The list goes on and on. There are a million and one different wedding related close up and macro shots you can take and the only limitation is your imagination.

You can also use the 100mm macro lens for full body portrait shots, so it is a dual purpose lens. The only real problems with macro lenses is that they can sometimes be too sharp for portrait shots as they show spots, pimples and blemishes, which is not very flattering. You can of course sort this out and soften the photos in the digital dark room.

Yep, a macro lens is a useful wedding photography lens and the only prime lens I use for wedding photography, and my macro lens of choice is the Canon 100mm f2.8L IS USM macro lens.

Before I bought the Canon 100mm f2.8L IS USM macro lens I had the original Canon 100mm f2.8 macro lens, without image stabilisation. The image quality of the original Canon 100mm macro lens is awesome, and many people consider it the sharpest Canon lens ever, but the image quality of the Canon 100mm f2.8L IS USM lens is better. It is one sharp lens and the image quality is second to none.

This lens is very sharp and captures details you can’t see with the naked eye, so you do need to take a bit of care not to get too close when using it to take wedding photos. The 4 stop image stabilisation (2 stop at 1:1) reproduction is awesome and ensures tack sharp handheld shots in very dim locations which means you don’t have to get the tripod out.​For running around the church and the reception venue taking close up creative shots before the guests arrive is what the Canon 100mm f2.8L IS USM macro lens is perfect for.

I find the focal range of 16mm – 100mm perfect for wedding photography, and whilst there are times I often think perhaps I should go wider and use a fish eye for a more creative and interesting shot I never think I need more than 100mm. Wedding photography is all about being up close and personal, I mean you have to engage with the happy couple and all their friends and family celebrating their special day and the only way to capture this is to get in the thick of the action. Personally I find standing on the side lines with a tele lens zooming in to take the photographs doesn’t result in that personal look, but I am sure there are many wedding photographers who would disagree with me.​As you can see I shoot with a Canon so if you shoot with any other brand of camera you are not going to be able to use the same dslr camera lenses that I do. In all honesty this doesn’t matter because other manufacturers make excellent 16mm – 35mm lenses, 24mm – 70mm lenses and 100mm macro lenses, and these will be more than enough to capture memorable wedding photos. The key here is not the brand of camera lens but the range of focal lengths covered. As long as you can go ultra-wide angle to 100mm that is all that matters.

There is no best lens for wedding photography and if you want to make sure you have all the bases covered you need no more than three lenses, as described above.

The lens I use for wedding photography when I am a guest

Even if I am not the official wedding photographer I like to take wedding photos for the happy couple, so I make sure I have a camera with me even when I am a guest of the bride and groom. I am not one to step on the toes of other photographers, so when I am a guest I let the official wedding photographer get on with her/his job and do my own thing.

In these situations I travel light, and will carry my full frame Canon 6d camera (see review here) and Canon 40mm f2.8 pancake lens. I know many people would use a 50mm prime lens in these circumstances (such as the Canon 50mm f1.4 or f1.8 – depending on budget) and whilst I do own the 50mm f1.8 I have to say that I prefer the 40mm pancake lens.

Don’t get me wrong, the f1.8 maximum aperture of the nifty fifty is more suitable for the low light levels, but I still prefer the 40mm pancake lens. The 40mm lens is better built, it is smaller and lighter and the image quality is better. The 50mm is capable of taking some great photos but the photos taken with the 40mm pancake lens are richer, more colourful and vibrant, sharper and I prefer the 40mm perspective to the 50mm perspective in these circumstances, although I appreciate the “best” perspective is down to personal preference.

Since the 40mm pancake is smaller and more discreet than the 50mm f1.8 I can be more stealth like and capture candid shots before the subject knows what’s going on and changes behaviour, by either playing up to the camera or shying away from the camera – very few people act natural in front of the lens. I love candid wedding shots, and I often think these are the best type of wedding photos as they really capture the essence of the day and how the day really went.

The Canon 40mm f2.8 pancake lens is cheap (not as cheap as the Canon 50mm f1.8 mind) but it produces photos far better than lenses costing several times more.​If you are looking for a small and discreet lens to take wedding photos when you are not the official wedding photographer I highly recommend the Canon 40mm f2.8 STM lens.

Further readingIf you found this article useful below are some related articles you may find interesting. Please feel free to take a look and check them out.

Wedding photography lighting tips and tricksFrom dimly lit church and chapel interiors to the bright midday sun to dark reception venues, the wedding photographer has to deal with all sorts of lighting conditions in order to capture those stunning photos. “Wedding photography lighting tips and tricks” focuses on lighting and provides some helpful lighting techniques that will help you capture awesome wedding images.

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